In 2015, the United Nations set up the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to achieve a more sustainable future. 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were proposed in the 2030 Agenda to achieve the balance between economic, social and environmental development (United Nations, 2015b). Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) are identified as an important component for achieving the SDGs by 2030 (United Nations, 2015). The Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) was launched to support the implementation of the SDGs, and the UN Interagency Task Team (IATT) on STI for SDGs is one of its mechanisms to actualise TFM (United Nations, 2021a).
The UN-IATT’s Workstream 6 (WS6) focuses on STI capacity building and began to deliver training sessions on STI policy for SDGs in 2017, especially for developing economics (United Nations, 2021b). WS6 aims to improve the capacity of policymakers, public sector experts and other key STI stakeholders by informing them of the approaches of STI policymaking and policy implementation, and to enhance their ability to integrate STI into their strategies to achieve the SDGs (UN-IATT, 2021).
The following results present a mapping analysis undertaken by a group of MPA students at University College London (UCL) in collaboration with the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), who are a member of the UN-IATT WS6. The research evidence is a part of a wider research project exploring the transformative value of STI policy capacity building for the SDGs. The purpose of this analysis was to map global STI capacity building initiatives to establish the most current landscape on such programmes, their relationship to the SDGs, as well as gaps and opportunities in the field. This also served to position the UN-IATT workshops in the global context of STI capacity building. Our research mapped where global initiatives are taking place, who is involved in them, how they are being delivered and their topics. To accomplish this, we undertook desktop research and used a web scraping software to collect raw data on global STI policy training initiatives. Content analysis of each initiative enabled them to be mapped according to the research focus.
This activity was an initial attempt to map global STI capacity building initiatives to fill a gap in the current literature and gather insights that were relevant to the project, as well as the UN-IATT. However, this is by no means a conclusive and finalised account of all available initiatives. Therefore, the researchers welcome contributors to use and add to the dataset.
The following results present the characteristics of global STI capacity building initiatives collected by the researchers following a web scraping exercise.
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| Country of organisation | SDG Connection | Delivery Method | Training Type | Levels | Duration | Target audience | Training provider |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | High | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| Belgium | High | Online - Teams | Workshop | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| South Africa | High | In Person | Short Course | Advanced | < 1 month | Professionals | Academic institution |
| UK | Low | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| USA | Medium | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| South Korea | High | Online - Others | Workshop | Advanced | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| USA | Medium | Online - Others | MOOC | Intermediate | < 3 months | Professionals | Private organisation |
| UK | Medium | In Person | Workshop | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Academic institution |
| Russia | Medium | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| Canada | Medium | Online - Others | Short Course | Advanced | < 3 months | Professionals | Academic institution |
| UK | Medium | Guidebook | Guidebook | Advanced | NA | Professionals | Academic institution |
| USA | Medium | Online - Others | Workshop | Advanced | < 1 week | Professionals | Academic institution |
| USA | Medium | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| UK | High | In Person | Degree | Advanced | < 1 year | Students | Academic institution |
| UK | Medium | Online - Zoom | Short Course | Advanced | < 1 week | Professionals | Academic institution |
| China | Medium | In Person | Short Course | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Academic institution |
| UK | Medium | In Person | Short Course | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Academic institution |
| USA | High | Online - Others | Short Course | Intermediate | < 3 months | Professionals | Academic institution |
| France | High | Online - Others | Short Course | Advanced | < 6 months | Other | Non-governmental agency |
| USA | Medium | Online - Others | Short Course | Advanced | < 1 month | Students | Academic institution |
| USA | High | Online - Others | Short Course | Intermediate | Unspecified | General | Non-governmental agency |
| USA | Medium | Online - Others | Degree | Advanced | < 3 months | Students | Academic institution |
| USA | Medium | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| USA | Medium | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| USA | Low | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| Pakistan | Low | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| USA | Low | Online - Zoom | MOOC | Intermediate | < 1 week | Students | Academic institution |
| UK | Low | Online - Zoom | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| USA | Low | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| USA | High | Online - Teams | Workshop | Advanced | < 1 week | General | Non-governmental agency |
| USA | Low | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| USA | Low | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| Russia | Low | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| India | Low | In Person | Short Course | Intermediate | < 1 month | Professionals | Academic institution |
| USA | Low | Online - Others | Short Course | Basic | Unspecified | Students | Academic institution |
| UK | Low | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| New Zealand | Low | In Person | Degree | Advanced | < 1 year | Students | Academic institution |
| Ethiopia | Medium | Online - Others | Short Course | Intermediate | < 3 months | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| USA | Low | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| Pakistan | Low | In Person | Short Course | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| N/A | Low | Publication | Guidebook | Advanced | Unspecified | General | Other |
| Malaysia | Medium | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| South Africa | Medium | In Person | Short Course | Advanced | Unspecified | Professionals | Academic institution |
| Switzerland | High | Online - Others | Short Course | Advanced | < 3 months | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| Japan | Low | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| UK | Low | Online - Zoom | Short Course | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Academic institution |
| Netherlands | Low | In Person | Short Course | Intermediate | < 1 month | Professionals | Academic institution |
| Australia | Low | Online - Zoom | Short Course | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Academic institution |
| Japan | Low | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Professionals | Academic institution |
| Ethiopia | Low | Online - Others | Short Course | Intermediate | < 1 month | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| USA | Low | Online - Others | Short Course | Basic | < 1 week | General | Academic institution |
| Switzerland | Low | In Person | Workshop | Basic | < 1 week | General | Non-governmental agency |
| USA | Low | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| USA | Low | Online - Zoom | Short Course | Intermediate | < 3 months | Students | Academic institution |
| Russia | Low | In Person | Degree | Intermediate | < 6 months | Students | Academic institution |
| India | Low | In Person | Short Course | Intermediate | < 1 month | General | Government agency |
| China | Low | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Academic institution |
| India | Low | In Person | Short Course | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Academic institution |
| India | Low | Online - Zoom | Workshop | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Academic institution |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Low | In Person | Short Course | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Government agency |
| Tanzania | Low | Online - Others | Guidebook | Basic | Unspecified | General | Non-governmental agency |
| India | Low | In Person | Workshop | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Government agency |
| India | Low | Online - Others | Workshop | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Government agency |
| Multiple | Medium | Online - Zoom | Workshop | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| South Korea | Medium | In Person | Workshop | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| UK | Low | Online - Zoom | Short Course | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Academic institution |
| South Africa | High | In Person | Workshop | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Government agency |
| Russia | Low | Online - Others | Workshop | Basic | < 1 week | Professionals | Academic institution |
| Russia | Low | Online - Others | Workshop | Basic | < 1 week | Professionals | Academic institution |
| Thailand | Low | In Person | Workshop | Intermediate | < 1 month | Professionals | Academic institution |
| Ghana | High | In Person | Workshop | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Government agency |
| Pakistan | Low | In Person | Short Course | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Government agency |
| Kenya | Low | In Person | Workshop | Advanced | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| UK | Medium | Online - Zoom | Workshop | Advanced | < 1 week | Other | Academic institution |
| Ethiopia | Low | In Person | Workshop | Basic | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| Colombia | Low | In Person | Workshop | Basic | < 1 week | Professionals | Academic institution |
| Jordan | Low | In Person | Workshop | Basic | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| China | Low | In Person | Workshop | Basic | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| Brazil | Low | In Person | Workshop | Basic | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| Belgium | Low | In Person | Workshop | Basic | < 1 week | Professionals | Government agency |
| Thailand | Low | In Person | Workshop | Basic | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| Sri Lanka | Low | In Person | Workshop | Basic | < 1 week | Professionals | Government agency |
| Chile | Low | In Person | Workshop | Basic | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| USA | Low | In Person | Workshop | Basic | < 1 week | Professionals | Government agency |
| Seychelles | Low | Online - Others | Workshop | Basic | < 1 week | Professionals | Government agency |
| Denmark | High | In Person | Workshop | Advanced | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| Lebanon | High | Online - Teams | Workshop | Advanced | < 1 month | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| USA | High | Online - Teams | Workshop | Advanced | < 1 week | General | Non-governmental agency |
| South Korea | High | In Person | Workshop | Advanced | < 1 week | General | Non-governmental agency |
| France | High | Online - Teams | Short Course | Advanced | < 6 months | General | Non-governmental agency |
| France | High | Online - Teams | Workshop | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| Thailand | Medium | Online - Zoom | Workshop | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| UK | High | Online - Zoom | Workshop | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| UK | High | In Person | Workshop | Intermediate | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| India | High | In Person | Workshop | Advanced | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| Republic of Congo | High | In Person | Workshop | Advanced | < 1 week | Professionals | Non-governmental agency |
| Japan | High | In Person | Degree | Advanced | 1 year + | Students | Non-governmental agency |
The desktop research returned a total of 97 STI capacity building initiatives. Each of these were mapped to different characteristics.
| Topics | Count |
|---|---|
| Policymaking | 44 |
| Monitoring and Evaluation | 38 |
| Emerging Technology | 32 |
| Entrepreneurship | 21 |
| Economics | 19 |
| Analytic Methods | 18 |
| Environment | 16 |
| Research and Development | 14 |
| Society and Culture | 14 |
| Political Environment | 13 |
| Science Diplomacy | 13 |
| Frameworks | 12 |
| SDGs | 12 |
| Sustainable Development | 11 |
| Policy Instruments | 10 |
| Case Studies | 9 |
| Intellectual Property | 9 |
| Policy Implementation | 9 |
| Education | 8 |
| Energy | 8 |
| Funding | 7 |
| Science Advocacy | 7 |
| Roadmap | 7 |
| Healthcare | 6 |
| Gender | 6 |
| Innovation Systems | 6 |
| Digitalisation | 5 |
| COVID-19 | 4 |
| Space | 3 |
| Foresight | 2 |
| Policy Analysis | 1 |
| Risk | 1 |
Table 1: Number of global STI capacity building initiatives according to each topic
| Country of organisation | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|
| USA | 23 |
| UK | 13 |
| India | 7 |
| Russia | 5 |
| Japan | 4 |
| China | 3 |
| Ethiopia | 3 |
| France | 3 |
| Pakistan | 3 |
| South Africa | 3 |
| South Korea | 3 |
| Thailand | 3 |
| Belgium | 2 |
| Switzerland | 2 |
| Australia | 1 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 |
| Brazil | 1 |
| Canada | 1 |
| Chile | 1 |
| Colombia | 1 |
| Denmark | 1 |
| Ghana | 1 |
| Jordan | 1 |
| Kenya | 1 |
| Lebanon | 1 |
| Malaysia | 1 |
| Netherlands | 1 |
| New Zealand | 1 |
| Republic of Congo | 1 |
| Seychelles | 1 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 |
| Tanzania | 1 |
Table 2: Number of global STI capacity building initiatives according to the countries of the organisations providing programmes.
** Disclaimer: We excluded rows that are “Multiple” and “N/A”
| Training provider | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|
| Academic institution | 52 |
| Non-governmental agency | 32 |
| Government agency | 11 |
| Other | 1 |
| Private organisation | 1 |
Table 3: Number of global STI capacity building initiatives according to the type of organisation providing training.
The number of global STI capacity building initiatives according to the type of training.
| Training Type | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|
| Workshop | 39 |
| Short Course | 27 |
| Degree | 26 |
| Guidebook | 3 |
| MOOC | 2 |
Table 4: Number of global STI capacity building initiatives according to the type of training programme.
*MOOC - Massive Online Open Course
The ‘advanced’ level indicates that the course covers STI policy best practice, emerging issues, case studies, indicators of success and how to track impact, whilst targeting individuals with a high level of knowledge and expertise. The ‘intermediate’ level covers the basics of STI policy and some prior knowledge of policymaking is desirable for participation. The ‘basic’ level covers the very basics of policymaking and barriers to entry are very low as no prior knowledge and experience are required.
| Levels | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|
| Advanced | 46 |
| Intermediate | 34 |
| Basic | 17 |
Table 5: Number of global STI capacity building initiatives according to the level of STI expertise.
| Duration | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|
| < 1 week | 49 |
| 1 year + | 22 |
| < 1 month | 8 |
| < 3 months | 7 |
| Unspecified | 5 |
| < 6 months | 3 |
| < 1 year | 2 |
| NA | 1 |
Table 6: Number of global STI capacity building initiatives according to the length of their durations.
| Region or Country Specific | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|
| Unspecified | 51 |
| Regional | 31 |
| Country-specific | 15 |
Table 7: Number of global STI capacity building initiatives according to their localities.
| Target audience | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|
| Professionals | 56 |
| Students | 29 |
| General | 10 |
| Other | 2 |
Table 8: Number of global STI capacity building initiatives according to the type of target audience.
| Target Audience Location | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|
| Any | 35 |
| Multiple | 15 |
| Unspecified | 10 |
| Africa | 9 |
| USA | 7 |
| India | 5 |
| Asia Pacific | 2 |
| Europe | 2 |
| South East Asia | 2 |
| Canada | 1 |
| China | 1 |
| East Asia | 1 |
| Ghana | 1 |
| Iran | 1 |
| Jordan | 1 |
| Latin America | 1 |
| Seychelles | 1 |
| South Asia | 1 |
| Thailand | 1 |
Table 9: Number of global STI capacity building initiatives according to target audience location.
| Delivery Method | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|
| In Person | 58 |
| Online - Others | 19 |
| Online - Zoom | 12 |
| Online - Teams | 6 |
| Publication | 1 |
| NA | 1 |
Table 10: Number of global STI capacity building initiatives according to the type of delivery method.
The level of the SDG connection gives an indication of how closely STI policy capacity building initiatives are aligned with the SDGs.
A ‘low’ SDG connection suggests there is no mention of the SDGs. The training may have some mention of sustainability, but this is a minor aspect.
A ‘medium’ SDG connection indicates that sustainability may be a significant focus of the workshop, although there is little to no explicit connection to the SDGs.
A ‘high’ SDG connection shows that the training is highly relevant to the SDGs and there should be an explicit connection made in the course title or description.
| SDG Connection | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|
| High | 23 |
| Medium | 22 |
| Low | 52 |
Table 11: Number of global STI capacity building initiatives according to the strength of their connection to the SDGs.
| Training provider | SDG Connection | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|---|
| Academic institution | High | 4 |
| Academic institution | Medium | 17 |
| Academic institution | Low | 31 |
| Government agency | High | 2 |
| Government agency | Low | 9 |
| Non-governmental agency | High | 17 |
| Non-governmental agency | Medium | 4 |
| Non-governmental agency | Low | 11 |
| Other | Low | 1 |
| Private organisation | Medium | 1 |
| Country of organisation | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|
| USA | 4 |
| France | 3 |
| UK | 3 |
| Japan | 2 |
| South Africa | 2 |
| South Korea | 2 |
| Belgium | 1 |
| Denmark | 1 |
| Ghana | 1 |
| India | 1 |
| Lebanon | 1 |
| Republic of Congo | 1 |
| Switzerland | 1 |
| Country of organisation | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|
| USA | 8 |
| UK | 5 |
| Canada | 1 |
| China | 1 |
| Ethiopia | 1 |
| Malaysia | 1 |
| Multiple | 1 |
| Russia | 1 |
| South Africa | 1 |
| South Korea | 1 |
| Thailand | 1 |
| Country of organisation | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|
| USA | 11 |
| India | 6 |
| UK | 5 |
| Russia | 4 |
| Pakistan | 3 |
| China | 2 |
| Ethiopia | 2 |
| Japan | 2 |
| Thailand | 2 |
| Australia | 1 |
| Belgium | 1 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 |
| Brazil | 1 |
| Chile | 1 |
| Colombia | 1 |
| Jordan | 1 |
| Kenya | 1 |
| N/A | 1 |
| Netherlands | 1 |
| New Zealand | 1 |
| Seychelles | 1 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 |
| Switzerland | 1 |
| Tanzania | 1 |
| Training Type | SDG Connection | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|---|
| Degree | High | 3 |
| Degree | Medium | 7 |
| Degree | Low | 16 |
| Guidebook | Medium | 1 |
| Guidebook | Low | 2 |
| MOOC | Medium | 1 |
| MOOC | Low | 1 |
| Short Course | High | 6 |
| Short Course | Medium | 7 |
| Short Course | Low | 14 |
| Workshop | High | 14 |
| Workshop | Medium | 6 |
| Workshop | Low | 19 |
| Topic | Count |
|---|---|
| Policymaking | 10 |
| Monitoring and Evaluation | 10 |
| SDGs | 8 |
| Emerging Technology | 7 |
| Sustainable Development | 5 |
| Political Environment | 5 |
| Analytic Methods | 5 |
| Case Studies | 4 |
| Policy Implementation | 4 |
| Roadmap | 3 |
| Frameworks | 3 |
| Policy Instruments | 3 |
| Society and Culture | 3 |
| Economics | 2 |
| Science Diplomacy | 2 |
| Gender | 2 |
| Environment | 2 |
| Research and Development | 2 |
| Healthcare | 2 |
| Innovation Systems | 1 |
| Energy | 1 |
| Foresight | 1 |
| Entrepreneurship | 1 |
| Education | 1 |
| Topic | Count |
|---|---|
| Monitoring and Evaluation | 8 |
| Economics | 7 |
| Emerging Technology | 7 |
| Policymaking | 6 |
| Political Environment | 5 |
| Entrepreneurship | 5 |
| Society and Culture | 4 |
| Funding | 4 |
| Energy | 4 |
| Environment | 4 |
| COVID-19 | 4 |
| Digitalisation | 3 |
| Research and Development | 3 |
| Policy Instruments | 3 |
| Frameworks | 3 |
| Space | 2 |
| Innovation Systems | 2 |
| Sustainable Development | 2 |
| Education | 2 |
| Healthcare | 2 |
| Case Studies | 1 |
| Analytic Methods | 1 |
| Intellectual Property | 1 |
| Science Diplomacy | 1 |
| Policy Implementation | 1 |
| SDGs | 1 |
| Topic | Count |
|---|---|
| Policymaking | 28 |
| Monitoring and Evaluation | 20 |
| Emerging Technology | 18 |
| Entrepreneurship | 15 |
| Analytic Methods | 12 |
| Science Diplomacy | 10 |
| Environment | 10 |
| Economics | 10 |
| Research and Development | 9 |
| Intellectual Property | 8 |
| Science Advocacy | 7 |
| Society and Culture | 7 |
| Frameworks | 6 |
| Education | 5 |
| Roadmap | 4 |
| Political Environment | 4 |
| Sustainable Development | 4 |
| Gender | 4 |
| Funding | 4 |
| Policy Instruments | 4 |
| Case Studies | 4 |
| Policy Implementation | 4 |
| Energy | 3 |
| SDGs | 3 |
| Innovation Systems | 3 |
| Healthcare | 2 |
| Digitalisation | 2 |
| Space | 1 |
| Policy Analysis | 1 |
| Risk | 1 |
| COVID-19 | 1 |
| Foresight | 1 |
| Delivery Method | SDG Connection | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|---|
| Guidebook | Medium | 1 |
| In Person | High | 11 |
| In Person | Medium | 11 |
| In Person | Low | 36 |
| Online - Others | High | 5 |
| Online - Others | Medium | 6 |
| Online - Others | Low | 8 |
| Online - Teams | High | 6 |
| Online - Zoom | High | 1 |
| Online - Zoom | Medium | 4 |
| Online - Zoom | Low | 7 |
| Publication | Low | 1 |
| Levels | SDG Connection | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced | High | 15 |
| Advanced | Medium | 14 |
| Advanced | Low | 17 |
| Basic | Low | 17 |
| Intermediate | High | 8 |
| Intermediate | Medium | 8 |
| Intermediate | Low | 18 |
| Target audience | SDG Connection | Number of STI Initiatives |
|---|---|---|
| General | High | 5 |
| General | Low | 5 |
| Other | High | 1 |
| Other | Medium | 1 |
| Professionals | High | 14 |
| Professionals | Medium | 13 |
| Professionals | Low | 29 |
| Students | High | 3 |
| Students | Medium | 8 |
| Students | Low | 18 |